Voting-machine



Patented Mar. 7, |899.

J. A. GRAY.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 9, 1898.)

@N6 Model.)

w lll i UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOSEPH- A. GRAY, OF ADIN, CALIFORNIA.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICAO forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,767, dated March '7, 1899.

Application iiled November 9, 1898. Serial No. 695,925. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH A. GRAY, a citizen of the` United States, residing at Adin, county of Medoc, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Voting-Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a machine which is especially designed to enable the voter to indicate the candidate or candidates for whom he desires to vote upon a ticket having the names of candidates printed thereon and at the same time to register his vote or votes by means of an apparatus designed for the pur. pose. This apparatus consists of mechanism for marking the ticket and at the same time registering the vote and in details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a general view of my machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the inside mechanism. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line a: o0 of Fig. 2.

My invention consists, essentially, of a series of independent mechanisms which are arranged in superposed tiers or rows, one above the other, with as many of these mechanisms grouped as may be necessary to provide one for each candidate to be voted for. Each of these mechanisms comprises a pushbar, a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism actuated thereby, and rotary disks 0r equivalent registering devices actuated by the pushebars, a locking device by which each push-bar is engaged and prevented from any second movement after having once been depressed to mark a ticket and register a vote, and a means for releasing the locking deviceafter the voter has left the booth, so that the parts are in readiness for another occupant. The exterior frame or casing may be made in any suitable or desired manner, forming an inclosure with an opening at one side, and, as shown in the present drawings, it is applied to a single device, so that the inspector or other person in charge may have control of it and set the mechanism in readiness for the voter.

lVithin the structure A is a framework B, which may be either fixed or movable. In

the present case I have shown it so arranged as to slide inl and out upon guides O, and when it has been pushed into place the single structure or any number may be fixed or locked by means of a locking-bar or equivalent device D, which may be hinged at one end and so arranged as to extend across the front of the framework and be secured by staple and lock or equivalent means, thus fixing each of the sliding frames B in place, Where they must remain until the device is unlocked, when they can be removed for inspection. Within this framework are jour naled the registering-wheels E E', of which there may be as many as may be desired, arranged in the usual manner of this class of registering mechanisms-that is, the wheel E may have a certain number of ratchet-teeth, such as twenty-five, and the second wheel, with which wheel E engages at the end of each revolution, may be advanced one point or in other way indicate the number of votes which have been registered by the successive movements of the wheel E, a single tooth at a time. In order to move this wheel, a pawl F is fulcrumed upon the side of apush-bar G, which in the present case is shown as being slidable horizontally above the ratchet-'wheel E and in such a manner that the pawl will .engage one of the teeth of the wheel and move the wheel forward one tooth Whenever the push-bar is pushed in. This bar is returned after being released by a coiled or other spring g. The outer end of the bar projects through the front of the supporting-framework B and has a knob or other means for pushing it, and projecting below this knob is a punch (shown at H) which'is coincident with a corresponding depression H, made in line with the punch. This enables the voter when he has received his ticket H2 to punch a hole in the margin opposite the name of the person for whom he desires to vote, the plan being the same as that of the Australian ballot, so called, in which the voter communicates his choice by stamping a cross or other mark in the margin opposite the name of the candidate. In this case, the hole being punched through, it is impossible to erase or otherwise destroy the record of the vote.

Each of the fronts of the frames B has above the knob a plate or tablet of sui'licient size to receive the name of the candidate to be voted IOO for, which may be taken from a ticket and pasted upon the tablet or otherwise applied thereto, and the knob by which the sliding bar is actuated appears through a hole of sufficient size made just below the tablet, as shown.

The sliding bar G is normally locked by a stop-bar I, which is fulcrumed above the bar G, so that its front end drops andv engages a knob or depression in the bar G, and thus prevents its being pushed backwardly.

In the rear portion of the apparatus is a spring-pressed arm J, and depending from the rear end of the stop-bar I is a notched latch K, the part below the notch lying in contact with the spring-arm J whenever the lockingbar I is engaged with the slide G.

Then it is desired to place the device in condition for a vote, it is done by means of a cam-bar L, which is fulcrumed above the stop-bar I and which is actuated by means of a crank arm or lever L', lthis lever being fixed upon the end of the shaft carrying the cam L, and the lever is contained within a chamber a, formed at the side of the machine and under the control of the inspector. This chamber is so iixed that it projects through a wall or in other ways is so constructed as to be entirely clear of the voting-compartment, so that the inspector and the voter will not come together.

In order to set the device in readiness for operation, the inspector moves the lever L', and thus turning the cam L depresses the rear end of the stop I and raises the front end clear out of engagement with the sliding bar G. IVhen this depression of the rear end of the bar I takes place, the swinging catch K engages with the spring-stop J and prevents the front end of the stop-bar I from again dropping into engagement with bar G, and the device remains in this condition until the button is pressed and the bar G is forced back. When this pressure takes place by the action of the voter, he will place his ticket with the part to be punched in line with the punch II, and pressing upon the button or head of the push-bar forces the latter in until the hole is punched through the ticket by the punch. At the same time the pawl F engaging the teeth of the wheel E will advance the wheel one number.

Fixed to the push-bar G is an arm M, which projects in line with the spring-stop J, and when the push-bar is pressed inwardly the end of the arm M pushes the spring-stop J backward until it is disengaged from the notch in K, and this allows the bar Ito drop, resting on the top of the push-bar G by gravitation.

As soon as the push-bar G is released and returned to its normal position by the action of its spring g the end of the stop-bar I will drop and engage the holding-notch of the push-bar, and thus prevent its being again moved.

N is a slidable cam extending from the inspectors station through as many oi' the voting-compartments as may be desired, and this cam is so constructed as to engage the springlatches J, so that when it is desired to.lock all of the voting-keys or push-bars it can be done by simply pushing this cam inwardly, and it will engage the spring-latches J and force them back, so as to release any of the stop-bars I which may be raised at that time, and they will then engage their respective push bars to prevent their being further moved.

Upon the shaft of the cam L is fixed a toothed segment O, and the teeth engage with those of a vertical weighted rack-bar I, so that when the lever-arm L is turned to move the cam L it will act to raise the rack-bari. This rack bar engages with other toothed segments O', situated above and below the segment O. These segment-s serve to aetuate the cams of the superposed rows of independent voting devices, so that by means of the Single lever-arm L any one or all of the dcvices can be at once set in readiness to be voted.

It will be understood that in conjunction with this apparatus after the voter has marked his vote by each of the devices which conlrrols the register for the particular candidate marked thereon and has fully prepared his ticket the latter may then be folded and deposited in the ballot-box in the usual manner, and as each ticket has been punched it has necessarily added one vote upon the register to those recorded for the particular candidate. In this manner wehave a mechanical check for the tickets, while the ticket is also a check upon the register.

By unlocking and removing the registering mechanism it is easy to obtain the total vote cast for any particular candidate, and if there is any tie or other reason why the votes themselves should be examined this may also be done.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

l. In a voting-machine, a push-bar having a head projecting through the front of the machine, a tablet for the reception of the name of the candidate, a punch carried by the pushbar, and a pawl-and-ratehet registering mechanism actuated by the movement of the pushbar and advanced thereby one number at each advance of said bar. A

2. In a voting-machine, a push-bar in conj unction with a tablet for the candidates name, and a punch carried by the bar, a pawland-ratchet registering mechanism actuated by the movements ofthe push-bar, and a gravity stop-bar adapted to engage and lock the push-bar after it has been advanced and returned to its normal position.

3. In a voting-machine oi' the character described, a spring-pressed reciprocating pushbar, a gravity locking-bar by which the pushbar is normally prevented lfrom being moved,

loo

IIO

secr/efr e a latch dependent from the locking-bar and a spring-catch with which it is adapted to engage when depressed, whereby the locking-bar is held up out of engagement with the pushi bar and the latter released for movement.

and a catch with which said latch is adapted to engage when depressed whereby the stopbar is held out of engagement with the 'pushbar, and a cam engaging the stop-bar with an operating-lever within the inspectors station whereby the stop-bar may be disengaged and the push-bar released.

5. In a voting-machine of the character described, a push-bar with pawl-and-ratchet registering mechanism and punch, a gravity stopbar fulcrumed above the push-bar adapted to engage with a notch therein and prevent the movement of the push-bar, a cam and a means whereby it is operated from the inspeetors station, said cam engaging and raising the stop-bar, a latch suspended from the stop-bar and a spring-catch with which the latch engages whereby the stop-bar is held up and the push-bar released, and an arm carried by the push-bar which in turn releases the latch fromthe spring-catch after the pushbar has been depressed so that the bar will again engage it after it returns to its normal position.

6. In a voting-machine of the charaeterdescribed, a push-bar, pawl-and-ratchet registering mechanism and punch carried by said bar for registering a vote in unison with the movement, a gravity-stop engaging the pushbar when in its normal position, a latch dependent from the stop and a spring-catch with which it is engageable, a cam and turning arm adapted to depress the latch to raise the `stop out of engagement with the push-bar,

' said catches may be disengaged and the pushbars locked independently of their movement from the voting-booth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH A. GRAY. Vitn esses:

WILLIAM STRAUB, C. C. AUBLEi 

